Ladder.



I. R. GONGOPF 6a R. S. LOVETT.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 6. 1907. l

Patented June 29, 1909.

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z 4 Y A W/TNESSES I. R. CONGOFP & R. S. LOVETT.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 5, 1907.

926,642. Patented June 29, 1909.

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ATTORNEYS I. R. GOGOFP & R. S. LOVBTT.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 5, 1907.

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LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 5, 1907.

Unirse srirrngslrgrnrir ISAAC R. CONGOFF AND ROBERT SlMON LOVETT, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

LADDER.

Application led December 5, 1907.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. 405,271.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, lsAAe R. Concern and ROBERT SIMON Lovn'rr, citizens oi the United States, and residents ol' Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Ladder, oi which the following is a l'ull, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improved ladder especially designed for use by firemen, it being capable oi' considerable and rapid extension, adapting it for use in connection with tall buildings.

One embodiment of the invention consists of a ladder composed o1' a series el' sections of varying widths teleseoped one within the other and a gear mechanism for driving the several sections, causing them to simultaneously move with respect to each other. The central section oi' the ladder, which is the upper section when extended, is provided with a pivotal extension capable el' being thrown to a horizontal position to engage the roof of a building and rigidly hold the upper end o'i the ladder in position. A flexible line is connected to the pivotal extension and is wound about an automatically driven drum, said line being engaged when the ladder is extended, by a bracket and forming a truss, thereby materially increasing the strength.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part oil this specilication, in which similar characters oi' reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation ol' the ladder complete with the several sections thereof telescoped together, as when the ladder is not in use; Fig. 2 is a side elevation oi the ladder as shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a front elevation oi' the three upper sections ol' the ladder when extended; Fig. 4 is a side elevation oi' the construction shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a skeleton view oi the operating mechanism with the several sections el the ladder rcmoved; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is an end view ol' an angular metal plate which is used in holding the several sections ol' the ladder in sliding engagement; Fig. S is an edge view oi' the same; Fig. 9 is a cross section on the line 9 9 of 1 looking in the direction ol' the arrow, and Fig.- 10 is a like section on the line 10-1() of Fig. 1 looking in the direction 0l' the arrow.

rlhe ladder is made up oil any desired number ol' sections, that being shown being i'our in number, designated respectively, by the numerals 1, 2, 3, and 1l, successively increasing in width and telescoped one within the other. ladder is at all times stationary and is lixed at its lower end to a base-plate 5, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and G.

Journaled in the upper end of the baseplate 5 is a horizontal shai't (i, having 'fixed to its inner end a beveled gear 7, the latter being in mesh with a somewhat sm aller beveled gear S Vlixed to the lower end oll a vertical shal't 9. To the upper end oi the sha'l't Q is :fixed a s proeket-whecl 1() which acts to drive a chain 11 passing about sprocket-wheels 12 fixed to the lower end o'l long, vertical sha1 ts 13, the latter' being journaled in suitable bearings carried by the side bars ol the scction 1. At the upper extremities ol' the shal'ts 13 are lixed worin gears 14 and which mesh with worm racks 15 secured te the rear lace ol' each oi' the side bars el' the section 2, said worm racks extending, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2, the entire length ol` this section.

Journaled in the lower end of the section 2 is a transverse shaft 16 having iixcd to cach et its ends a gear 17 which are in mesh with rack bars 1S secured to the top faces ol the side bars olz section 1. Also ilxed to the shaft 16 intermediate the gears 17, is a sprocket-wheel 19 connectedL to a sprocketwheel 2() by a chain 21, said sprocket-wheel 20 being fixed to a shal't 22 journaled at each end in the upper end of the section 2. Also 'fixed to the shal't 22 near its ends, are gears 23 in mesh with rack bars 24 secured to the rear faces ol the side bars olI the section S.

Journaled in the lower end. et the section 3 is a transverse shal't` 25 having vfixed to each el its ends a gear 26 in mesh with rack bars 27 secured to the u per faces ol the side bars ol the section 2 ain corresponding with the rack bars 1S secured to the side bars el" the section 1. Also secured to the shalt 25 intermediate the gears 2G, is a sprooket wheel 28 connected with a sprocket-wheel 29 by a chain 30. rlhe sprocket-wheel 2.)

is 'lixed to a short shaft 31 journaled in the section 3 and also having iixed thereto adjacent to the sprocket-wheel 29 a gear 32 in mesh with a rack bar 33 'lixed to the rear lace of one of the side bars of the section Ll and corresponding in construction to the The bot-tom or wide section 1 ol the if'.

rack bars have shoiv ach bars lined to the upper face ol the section which, in the present construction, have no function but are for the purpose of serving in the saine capacity as the rack bars 153 and 33 should another section el the laf e be added.

The guide-plate, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is employed lor maintaining trie several sections of the ladder in sliding engagenient, said plate being be it one end to provide a llanee Bil, and at its opposite end in the reverse direction te provide a llange 35, this latter flange being bent to torniy a channel Se intei ediate its length lor receiving the racks when appliedv to the ladder sections. The applicatior oll thes guide-plates to the ladder is illus l i, in which the flanges 34 of the guide plates are secured to the lower ends el the si 'le bars et the sections 2, 3 and e', leaving 'the lianges to respectively project over the side bars of the sec- 2 d 3. r upper ends ot the tions i, 2 ladder secti furie-plates are secured g l .L L' p Y 2e carried ey the section l). We n r in reverse order, the llanges .5e ol tne plates being fixed to the bottoni faces ot the side With. the

bars the sections 1, 2 and 3 lianoes 54, respectively, p-ojectin top laces of the side bars of the sections 2, 3 and e. lt is thus seen by this arrangement that the several sections t the ladder are all tiines maintained in sliding engagenient and cannot be laterally sepa"ated.

The central section of the ladder is provided with an extension S7 having hooked over eXtrenii m and nivetally connected g over the ties @e ,d

to the section d on a pin 39. is best shown in Figs. 3 and Li, the side s of the eXtension 37 are diminished in i nth and thickness and inte corresponding cut-out portions into 'the side bars of the section l when in vertical aliircrnent therewith. Secured to each side ol the section adjacent to the extension 37 are curved brackets di), each being provided with a slot e1 ot substantially 9C' degrees in len 'h cencentrically arranged to the pin 39. in these slots project pins 4t2 extending the side bars of the extension 37. construction it is apparent that ension inay be thrown to a horizontal pos n and will be held frein further niovenent by reason of the pins contactinfJ wiY the upper ends of the slots di.

livoted between the side bars of the section 2 substantially 1 iidvfay of their length, is a bracket 413 best shown in 1 and l and is concave on its outer race with notch 44 centrally arranged therein. 'lhis bracket is normally liorced outwardly by a spring 45 secured to one ol the side of the section 2 and when in a horizontal position engages a line lo in its notch said line being connected its 'upper end to the extension 37 and at its lower end to a drinn Ll?, the latter being carried by shalt i8 journaled in the upper end el a standard 4Q pivoted at 50 to one side ol the base-plate 5. rlhe shaft 4S has also lined thereto an operating handwheel 51 and at the opposite side of the drinn e7 a friction-Wheel 51a frictionally enthe rear, beveled edge of the beveled The operation of the ladder is as follows: @In driving the shaft 6 from any suitable source ot power, the vertical shafts 13 and Worms 14 carried thereby are caused to revolve through the intermediate gearing; and since the Wenns 14 niesh with the Worin racks secured to the section 2, this section is inoved uinvardly. As the section 2 moves upwardly it revolves the gears 17 lined to the shalt 16 ournaled in its lower end. This shalt in turn, drives the gears 23 at the end ol the shaft 22 through the sprocket-Wheels 1Q and 2G and the connecting chain 21. As the gears revolve, they nieve the section ulgivfardly with respect to the section 2, by reason ot being interineshed With the rackbars carried by the section As the section 3 inoves iq: vardly With respect to the sectien 2, the gears 26 lined to the shaft 25 journaled at the lower end of this section, are caused to revolve by reason of being interineshed with the rack-bars secured to the iront lace ot the side bars of the section 2. This drives the short shalt 31 and the gear lined thereto, journaled in the upper end ot the section 3, through the intermediate sprocket-Wheels 2S and 29 and their connecting chain 30, causing the section e' to nieve ujggirfardly with respect to the section 3 by reason of the gear being internieshed with the rack-bar S3 secured to its rear face. As the sections et the ladder nieve upwardly, the line el@ is unreeled frein the drum 47 by reason of the trictional engagement of the irrction-Wneel 'with the rear tace of the gear 7 g and when the sections have been extended ter one-half their length, the bracket 43 is automatically throivn outward by the spring 5, said bracket being maintained in a vertical position up to this tinie by the rounds oi the section 1. is the bracket is thrown outwardly its convex outer lace carries the line ei6 to its central notch LA. To adjust the tension on the line alter the ladder is extended, the standard i9 is thrown rearwardly on its pivot 5G to disengage the friction-Wl eel with the b veled gear 7, and may be held in this position by latch 52 While the hand-Wheel 51 is operated, as shown in dotted outline in riig. e. This latch is pivotally connected. to the base-block 5 and has a notch in its tree end te engage With a pin proiecting frein one side of the standard 49. lt is thus seen that all of the sections of the ladder are rnoved simultaneously With respect to each other in the saine direction as the shaft e is driven; also the line '4:6

at the same time is automatically unwound or Wound on the drum 47, depending on the direction in which the shaft 6 is driven.

It should be noted that the extension 37 can be pulled to the horizontal position by the line 46; also that the bracket 43 engaging said line will be automatically swung on its pivot as the ladder is extended and brought back to normal position when telescoped together. Further, the guide-plates will not only prevent the several sections of the ladder from being separated but will also act as stops when the sections have been extended to their limit.

The invention has been described in detail in order that the construction and operation might be fully understood. The precise embodiment, however, is not material provided the essential characteristics are employed as pointed out in the annexed claims.

Having thus described our invention we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A lurality of ladder sections telescoped one wit 1in the other comprising an outer section, an inner section, and intermediate sections, a rack fixed on one side ol the outer section, a rack fixed on the opposite side of the inner section, racks fixed on both sides of of the intermediate sections, gearing carried by the several sections intermeshing with the racks, and means for driving said gearing to cause all of said sections but the outer section to move simultaneously in one direction.

2. A ladder composed of a plurality of sections telescoped one within the other, means to extend said sections with respect to each other, a tension member at the rear of the ladder section, and a strut automatically erected and clasped at the rear of the ladder when the ladder sections are extended and retracted.

3. A ladder composed of a lurality of sections telescoped one within t e other, a line connected to the inner section near its upper end, a drum on which the line is connected at its opposite end, a bracket connected to one of the sections forming a truss in connection with the line, means for driving the drum and moving all but the outer ol the ladder sections with respect to each other, and means for automatically projecting and retracting the bracket by the actuation of the first mentioned means.

4. A ladder composed of a plurality of sections telescoped one within the other, rack bars Jlixed to both the front and rear sides of certain of said sections, gearing inter-meshing with the rack bars, and means including the 60 rack bars for driving said gearing to cause all of said sections but the outer section to move simultaneously in one direction.

5. A ladder composed of a lurality of sections telescoped one within t e other, means for causing all of said sections but the outer section to move simultaneously with respect to each other in the same direction, a bracket pivotally connected to one of said sections automatically projected and retracted by the operation of said means, and a line disconnected from the bracket and connected to another of' said sections automatically engaged by the bracket to form a truss when the sections are extended.

6. A ladder composed of a plurality of seetions telescoped one within the other, a rack fixed to one side of the outer section, a rack fixed to the opposite side of the next adjacent and second section, a worm in mesh with the last mentioned rack for moving all 8O of the sections with respect to the outer section, and a gear journaled on said next adjacent section in mesh with the first mentioned rack for moving the third section with respect to the second section.

7. A ladder composed of a plurality of sec tions telescoped one Within the other, a rack fixed to one side el' the outer section, a rack fixed to the opposite side of the third section, a rack xed to one side of the intermediate section, a vertical shaft having a worm Wheel in mesh with the rack of the intermediate section, a gear journaled on the lower portion of the intermediate section in mesh with the rack iixed to the outer section, a gear journaled on the upper portion of the intermediate section in mesh with the rack of the third section, means for driving the last men tioned gear from the first mentioned gear, and means for driving said shaft, whereby all of said sections but the outer section are caused to move simultaneously with respect to each other.

S. A ladder composed of a plurality of sec tions telescoped one within the other, a bracket pivotally supported on the rear side of one of the intermediate sections of the ladder and foldable to the side thereof by the contraction of the ladder, a spring for projeeting the bracket when the sections of the ladder' are extended, and a line attached to the inner section ol the ladder automatically engaging the bracket to provide a truss when the several ladder sections are extended.

In testimony whereof we have each signed 1lb our name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC R. CONCOFF. ROBERT SIMON LOVETT.

lVitnesses to the signature of Isaac It. Concofl:

S. DILLMAN, C. L. L. WILLIAMS. Iitnesses to the signature of Robert S. Lovett:

J. H. ODONNELL, A. E. TRIP?. 

